Why is holiday insurance so important?

No one wants to think about what could go wrong and a good travel insurance policy means that you dont have to think too long about it. But the reality is, when youre in unfamiliar places, youre far more vulnerable to encountering bumps in the road such as cancellations, illnesses and lost or stolen possessions.

Put simply, a travel insurance policy provides a financial safety net, so that if things do go wrong youre not going to be slapped with a massive bill that will at best eat into your travel budget or at worst sacrifice your entire trip and the money already spent on it.

Annual Travel Insurance - protects an unlimited number of trips for one year, each trip consisting of a maximum duration of 45 days. This option is ideal if you travel often as it can often work out cheaper than buying several single trip policies. Whats more, you can nip off at the drop of a hat knowing youre covered.

Backpacker Travel Insurance - protects up to 2 years of continuous travel and is designed specifically for people on gap years, career breaks and travelling the world on an extended trip. It also has the added benefit of covering many work and volunteer activities as well as an unexpected trip home.

What should a good travel insurance policy include?

To help you know what to look for, below are some of the minimum requirements you will want to make sure youve covered for.

Medical Emergencies: Being covered for medical expenses is probably the most important element of your policy. Unlike the UK, most countries do not have a free health service similar to the NHS, so you could find yourself facing a medical bill for thousands of pounds if you fall ill or have an accident abroad. Do not underestimate the costs of hospital bills! You want to be able to focus on getting better than worrying about the cost of treatment.

Lost or Stolen Possessions: You may not have a lot of stuff with you, but the bits you do have will no doubt be essential to your trip such as your passport, mobile, tablet or money. Losing or having these items stolen will not only be annoying, but could seriously make a dent in your carefully organised budget if youre forced to cough up to replace the goods.

Cancellation: Should you fall ill and can no longer go away on your trip or something happens that means you need to cut your trip short, your insurance policy will help you recover the costs youve already paid. Having to say goodbye to your trip would be hard enough, but saying goodbye to the money as well is avoidable.

Choosing the best travel insurance

With so many cheap travel insurance policies available it can be difficult trying to decide which is the best for you. To help you decide, we have created our Best Travel Insurance guide that will give you an overview of what to bear in mind when choosing insurance for your next trip.

Travel Insurance for your holiday

At Essential Travel we offer four types of travel insurance depending on your destination. Our European Travel Insurance is a popular choice for those heading to the continent for skiing in Europe, lazing on a beach or Interailling around Europe.
If you're heading further afield we have worldwide travel insurance that can include or exclude North America and the Caribbean.
Last but not least is UK Travel Insurance. With the rising cost of a staycation, travel insurance for the UK is sometimes overlooked, but just like any country, your hotel or transport can be cancelled or your personal belongings can be stolen, lost or damaged.
At Essential Travel, we can cover these, as well as cancellation and curtailment, emergency medical cover, sports insurance and activities, and a whole lot more.

Travel Insurance Reviews

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Add Extra Cover

You can customise your policy further with pre-existing medical condition cover, sports and a number of other specialist add-ons.

Do You Need to Declare a Medical Condition?

If you have a pre-existing medical condition its vital that you declare it or you could invalidate your entire policy. Insurers dont like to think that youve hidden things from them and you may be surprised to find out that many common medical conditions such as allergies can be added without any additional cost. Whats more, you even have the option to declare a condition but then exclude it from your policy. What this means is that youve told your insurer about your condition but decided not to cover it, so you will be covered medically for anything unrelated to that condition.

Do You Need Extra Sports or Specialist Cover?

A decent policy will include cover for many sporty or adventure activities as standard. However the more adventurous or dangerous the activity, like winter sports, the more likely it is that you will need to purchase additional sports insurance. You can customise your policy further a number of other specialist add-ons.

By adding Winter Sports to your Single, Annual or Backpacker policy you can take part in over 26 winter sports and be covered for:

Medical: you will be covered for emergency medical expenses that occur should you have an accident and require medical attention including cover for mountain rescue, helicopter rescue costs and repatriation

Equipment: Winter Sports cover also provides peace of mind against any theft, loss or damage to your personal or hired equipment as well as any pre-paid fees.

Self employed or working for a company, if you travel for work you can add extra protection against accidental loss, theft or damage to your business equipment to your Single, Annual Multi or Backpacker Trip policies.

Business cover protects equipment such as cameras, mobiles, laptops that you may need to work or have with you in meetings.

If you're planning on tying the knot abroad, extra cover for accidental loss, theft or damage to your your wedding clothes, rings, gifts and photos can be added to your Single, Annual Multi or Backpacker Trip policy, to help ensure that your special day is everything its meant to be.

If you've packaged your holiday yourself (without the help of a travel agent) add the Indepentent Traveller add-on will provide cover for additional scenarios such as:

Extended Cancellation and Curtailment: If you need to cancel or return home early because your booked accommodation becomes unreachable and unusable due to a travel ban or evacuation

Extended Delayed & Missed Departure: Not only will we pay you for the first 12 hours of delay, we'll also help with pre-paid travel, accomodation & any alternative travel arrangements you may need to make

Exactly what I was looking for

This website made the mundane task of sorting insurance out very simple indeed. I selected my choices, was offered it at a great price and immediately received confirmation of my policy. Have used them before and would recommend them to anybody.

Mr Balsom- March, 3 2014

Total Rating:5/5

Easy to arrange your insurance

I found essential travel insurance ideal for my requirements short trips or longer holidays are catered for easy to arrange and good prices I would recommend this company for all your travel needs.

Mr Conway- Feb 28, 2014

Total Rating:5/5

Easy to book and good price

I remembered about travel insurance a couple of days before we travelled. I was able to get a quote immediately online and see 3 levels of cover described clearly and in detail. Having chosen what I wanted I was able to pay easily and had immediate peace of mind for our trip.

Ms. Watson- Feb 25, 2014

Find the right travel insurance for your needs with Essential Travel:

Travel Insurance Australia

Australia is one of the most popular long-haul destinations for Brits. There is so much to do and see in this vast country and its warm climate, sandy beaches and tropical rain forests make it a popular destination for backpackers on their round the world trip and families a like. Whatever your reason for visiting this beautiful country, our travel insurance for Australia can keep you covered should anything happen while you are away.

Travel Insurance Cuba

Floating halfway between the US to the north and Latin America to the south, Cuba seems to be stuck between the two. Where infrastructure has suffered from its turbulent past, the culture has boomed. Cuba is one of the most incredible places to see the arts. You will hear music emerge from houses, dance in the streets and you'll see it everywhere. The Cuban people keep this country's pulse beating and they will ensure you have an unforgettable time. Whether you soak up the sun on sandy beaches, dive the reefs in search of sea life or simply explore the back streets of Havana, you will remember Cuba. Whatever your reasons, we have you covered with our travel insurance to Cuba

Travel Insurance Turkey

A mesmerising mix of the exotic and the familiar, Turkey has long been dubbed the 'bridge between East and West'. Its rich history, warm weather and beautiful sandy beaches make it a popular destination among Britons. Whether you are soaking up the sun at a beach resort or exploring the maze of Turkish bazaars, our travel insurance for Turkey can keep you covered should anything disrupt your time away.

Travel Insurance USA

Whether you're skiing in Vermont, seeing a show on Broadway or soaking up the sun on the West Coast, you will want to ensure you are comprehensively covered with our travel insurance for USA. Medical expenses and repatriation to North America and the Caribbean are some of the highest in the world, that is why at Essential Travel we can cover pre-existing medical conditions, as well as provide comprehensive emergency medical cover, along with many other extras.

Travel Insurance UK

Many people forget the need for travel insurance when they're on a staycation but the cost of accommodation, attractions and transport are not often cheap. Our UK travel insurance can cover you for any length of stay, provide you with cancellation cover, 100's of sports and a lot more no matter where you visit.

All Travel Insurance

Please visit our travel insurance site map for a complete breakdown of all trip types and insurance policies offered by Essential Travel.